Parliament to vote on surveillance bill featuring modified oversight

The Cyprus House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on a surveillance bill on Thursday, April 2. AKEL Member of Parliament Andreas Pasiourtidis indicated that a parliamentary majority appears to support removing the mandatory court order requirement for the Cyprus Intelligence Service (KYP) in certain cases. Instead, the proposal suggests replacing prior judicial review with a three-member committee appointed by the Council of Ministers, which would need to approve continued surveillance within 72 hours. Legal expert Simos Angelidis has raised concerns regarding the impact on constitutional human rights due to the reduction of independent judicial oversight. Angelidis argued that even in national security matters, judicial authorization is necessary to maintain checks and balances. Critics suggest that such an oversight body lacks the independence of the court system. The bill aims to redefine how the state conducts surveillance operations under specific legislative conditions.